Trapped, Caged and Freed
by GuardianDragon98
Summary: Eret, Son of Eret, knows why the caged dragon roars...because he himself had been caged. One-shot about the mind of a dragon trapper who felt just as trapped as the dragons he used to trap. Story is better than summary, I promise. Rated T because I'm a bit paranoid.


**Okay, guys, I had this sudden stroke of inspiration and I just had to write it before it completely disappeared from my head. Feel free to tell me how you guys find it.**

 **NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HTTYD**

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 **Trapped, Caged and Freed**

Eret, Son of Eret, knew what it was like to be trapped.

Ever since he watched his father die at the hands of Drago Bludvist, he had been forced to become a dragon trapper. And, from the very start, Eret hated it. He hated trapping the magnificent creatures, hearing their roars and cries of anger and despair at being caught and sold to a madman. But it was either trap dragons or get killed and Eret, too scared for his own skin, chose to trap them. Over time, he became more skilled at the trapping arts and found himself getting used to it.

He still didn't like it but, if getting used to trapping and getting good at it was going to keep him from getting killed, then so be it.

But Eret knew why the caged dragon roars. It roars because it wants to be free, to soar up into the sky where it belonged or to swim freely in the waters of the briny deep. A caged dragon roared for freedom and Eret understood that…because he himself was in a cage.

Not a cage made of iron but made of his inner demons. It was a cage made of all the guilt, anger, sadness and fear he had been feeling ever since he was 14…when his father was murdered right in front of him, tainting his once innocent outlook on the world.

Sometimes, he can picture in his mind's eye the cage he had been forced into. It was a very small cage, hardly enough room for him to freely move about, with steel bars that shook every time he threw himself at his prison. He could picture himself crying, screaming, for help only to see nobody in the darkness that swirled within his own mind. And, after he couldn't cry out for help anymore, Eret would just huddle into his cage and weep. There was no hope for him to be free from his cage…no hope in getting freed from this death trap of a life he had…

Then three Dragon Riders came…and one of them had the key to his freedom.

Eret had been completely shocked to see Zenna, his beloved childhood sweetheart again when she and her friends rode into the destroyed fort. She was all grown up, a Dragon Rider of a fearsome Night Fury, and still the most beautiful woman in the whole world even with just one eye.

Then fear reared its cowardly head and Eret refused her help and was left with the knowledge that he had broken his beloved Zenna's heart.

In his mind, he could see Zenna holding the key out to him from between the metal bars of his cage. He wanted so badly to get it and be free but, then, his fear of Drago harming her made shackles form around him. Zenna reaches out further so he can still get the key but he just looks away, making her cry and leave him. She drops the key as she leaves and it stays out of his reach. And as he cries in his prison, the key eventually gets kicked out of his sight.

When Drago captured them and Astrid's Deadly Nadder saved him, Eret finally realized that hope was still there for him. In his mind, Stormfly appears and she fetches the key for him. When he frees her from one of Drago's traps, at the same time, Astrid gets the key and gives it to him and he undoes his shackles.

And when he saves Zenna from falling to her death during the battle of the Bewilderbeast, Hiccup accepts him and hands him another key. Eret finally unlocks his cage and, at long last, he is finally free.

Or is he?

The darkness persists and it completely surrounds Eret, trapping him in his sorrows as he sinks into a depression. For two months, the whispers behind his back and the accusing looks from some of the other villagers keep Eret from finding his way out of his new prison. He was free from Drago but he wasn't free at all.

If anything, he was more trapped than he had ever been. And the worst part is…the one who was keeping him trapped was himself. All the years of guilt and self-loathing had driven Eret into a cage worse than the last one.

But his newfound friends never gave up on him. When he had given up on himself, they were there to keep him from completely going under. Over time, they taught him how to forgive himself as they had already forgiven him. Sometimes, Eret smiles a little as he recalls how he had cried like a child when Zenna, Hiccup, Astrid, Valka, Gobber, Edgar, Henna, Snotlout, Fishlegs and the Twins had opened up to him. They had poured out their hearts into comforting him and telling him that it was alright, nobody was going to hurt him again and they were never going to let Drago come back and take him away from them. All he did during that moment was listen to them and, then, cry as everyone embraced him. For the first time since he was 14, Eret felt safe again. He came forward to the rest of Berk about his past and, while it may have not been easy and right away, the people accepted him and he now felt at home.

The darkness in his mind had vanished and, there, Zenna appeared again. With a smile, she held out her hand to him and, smiling as well, he took it and let her lead him back into the light.

No more Drago. No more traps. No more cages. No more darkness. No more guilt. No more anger. No more sadness. No more fear. No more hopelessness. No more loneliness.

Eret, Son of Eret, was finally, truly, _free._

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 **What do u guys think? I know some parts sound a bit confusing but I was trying to get inside Eret's head to see how he really felt in both the second film and what I think his character arc could be like.**

 **Well…I'm gonna be starting college soon so my updating schedules on this site will definitely drastically change. But, rest assured, I shall NEVER abandon any of my stories. To be honest, I'm taking up Creative Writing as my major course and sharing my fanfics here with you guys has been amazing practice. Now to make up my own world, characters and stories!**

 **But, of course, I'm still gonna post fanfics here. You can take the fanfic writer offline but you cannot keep the fanfic writer from finding a computer, laptop and free WiFi :D**

 **Anyways, read and review. Reviews are what help me grow as a writer!**

 **-GuardianDragon98**


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